I own nothing. Not even a boat.
A/N: Thanks for your reviews. Two new chapters for your reading pleasure. Apologies for any format issues. This stupid site has a mind of its own.
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Ryan POV
She must have noticed the awe in my eyes because she said, "it's really not that great. It's average."
"Average for a millionaire, maybe," I teased.
But the joke seemed to go over her head. "Just a 50 foot..." She went into a detailed description of the boat.
The technical speak might as well have been Greek. She was beginning to sound like Seth and not for the first time, I wondered why it didn't work out with them. I could already tell that if she had been sharing this moment with him and not me, there would have been a lot more excitement and jumping about the intricacies of boating. But I pushed that thought out of my head and said the only thing I could. "Whatever it is, it's pretty."
She shrugged. "It'll get the job done," she said practically.
Even though she'd been a little surprised that Seth had traveled in Summer Breeze, she hadn't really mentioned if 'it'll get the job done' and I wanted to ask. But I didn't dare. I was a little scared of the response. Sometimes, not knowing is best. So, I went back to mundane comments about the boat.
"There's no way I could pay rent if I owned something like this."
She smiled. "My Dad sometimes spends night here. But trust me, it gets old after a while."
"Anyway," she said, pointing around the room. "As you can see, we have internet access, a GPS phone, a radio, plus I'll be taking my GSM mobile phone, so I'll have plenty of contact with the outside world... you really don't have to come with."
"Anna, I am coming," I said firmly. I thought she understood it was not open to debate.
"But why? You can't sail, so if we were in any trouble, I'd have to worry about myself and you. You're pretty much deadweight. If anything, you're a liability."
"Anna, I can't let you go by yourself."
"Why not? I've done it before and my parents -people who love me very much -let me do it. Why can't you?"
"Because, those trips were different. You're not sailing under the same circumstances. This is not about leisure. You're going to be sailing faster, trying to catch up with Seth ... your mind is going to be flying in different directions, looking for Seth, trying to keep your boat afloat... and you'll be all alone in the ocean. Anna, it's not safe."
"So what are you going to do? Protect me from pirates?" she smirked.
I smiled. Her little act was actually funny. "Sure, if there are any."
She said something under her breath, something I am glad I didn't hear and started to leave. I followed her up the steps and off the boat.
It took me about a minute to catch up with her.
"When do we leave?"
She sent me an annoyed look and kept on walking. She was probably angry because I was the only person she couldn't convince. Kirsten and Sandy had originally objected to it, but when she claimed that she'd planned to make the trip anyway and believed that Seth would probably return before she was half-way into her trip, they agreed. The fact was, they really didn't have a choice. Her parents, who seemed to give her an inexplicable amount of freedom, didn't object so there was nothing the Cohens could do. She promised to call them daily with details of her 'non-search.'
"When do we leave?" I repeated.
"You do realize we are going to be at sea for about 37 days before we dock in Hawaii?"
She was lying... From what I'd read on the internet, it would take us between 15-20 days to get there.
"Sounds great. I've never been to Hawaii."
She gritted her teeth. "You've never been at sea - you'll probably be sea sick. Just so you know, I am not a nurse."
"I know," I replied. Although from what I'd learned about her in the last few days, seeing how nurturing and caring she was, I thought she'd make a terrific nurse. Then I started imagining her in a nurse's outfit, bending over me and taking my temperature. Then I remembered that I was glad the last nurse I'd met wore scrubs and not a tight little dress and the image disappeared. I felt a little dirty. I should not have been thinking about her like that at all but should I be blamed for my imagination?
"... either. Ryan are you listening?" she wasn't even trying to hide her displeasure. The scowl was a little scary.
I looked away from her. "Sure?" I missed her last excuse and was glad I didn't have to come up with a counter-argument.
"I'm not going to take care of you or anything like that. You do realize that."
"I never thought you would."
She stopped and leaned on one foot. "We are going to need food."
"I'll get some."
She folded her arms. "I am talking about plenty of food and water to last us over a month."
"I know."
"And most of it is from cans. No take-out."
"Anna, I grew up in Chino," I reminded her. She had to know I wasn't one of those spoilt Newport brats.
She looked frustrated and started tapping her foot. "What in the world is that supposed to mean? You don't have Pizza Hut in Chino?"
I had to stop myself from laughing - I didn't want to piss her off any more. I'd forgotten she was from Pittsburgh and was probably used to seeing the shocked looks on Newportan faces when she mentioned something as simple as an MP3 player. It seemed that they thought they were the only place on earth with any civilization. And it appeared I was becoming one of them.
"Yes, we have Pizza Hut in Chino."
"I'm saying, no stuffed crust pizza."
"I don't like it anyway."
The breeze got a little stronger so I had to put my hand on my forehead to prevent my hair from falling into my eyes. The wind was also blowing her hair in a million different directions but she didn't seem to care. I thought she looked a little like Medusa but I didn't think that it was the right time to mention that resemblance.
"No smoothies, or soda or chips or any freshly cooked meals. I can't cook."
"I'm an excellent cook." Well, not excellent, but I can warm a mean cup of soup.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Does this mean you're really coming?"
"I'm really coming." I confirmed.
She sighed. "See you here at 8am tomorrow morning. If you're not here by 8:01, I'm leaving."
"O.K." She stared at me with an unreadable expression then walked off to her car.
About two minutes later, I heard her call me.
"Hey Ryan, need a ride home?"
I nodded.